Epidural blood patch and late postpartum eclampsia.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D L Dorsey.
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During pregnancy there is an increased incidence of idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy). During a 10-yr period, 36 patients with a diagnosis of pregnancy-associated Bell's palsy were identified retrospectively. Twenty-five patients developed symptoms during the third trimester, whereas the remaining 11 became symptomatic during the first week postpartum. Twenty women delivered vaginally and 16 by cesarean section with a variety of anesthetics being used. Five patients received spinal, 22 epidural, and 3 general anesthetics; 7 patients received no anesthesia. The incidence and distribution of the palsy were similar among patients delivered with and without anesthesia. We conclude that the appropriate anesthetic for a given patient may be chosen without concern for the coexisting Bell's palsy.
To determine whether the presence or absence of left ventricular (LV) intracavitary microbubbles during cardiac surgery predicts neurologic sequelae, 82 patients undergoing cardiac surgery were studied using transesophageal 2-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography. Cross-sectional images were recorded just before and immediately after cardiopulmonary bypass and stop frames were reviewed for the presence of microbubbles, rated as: 0 = absent, 1 = fewer than 5/frame, 2 = 10 to 25/frame, 3 = too numerous to count. Microbubbles were detected after cardiopulmonary bypass in 34 patients (41%) and found more often in valvular or other intracardiac manipulations than in coronary revascularization, 30 of 40 vs 4 of 42, respectively (p less than 0.001). When grade 2 or 3 microbubbles were identified (22 of 34 patients), mechanical attempts to eradicate them were not successful. Postoperative follow-up in all patients revealed no new focal neurologic deficits. Prolonged encephalopathy (confusional state more than 72 hours) occurred in 4 of 48 patients with no detectable microbubbles and in 3 of 34 patients with microbubbles (difference not significant). Thus, intracavitary left ventricular microbubbles are often detected during cardiac operations, particularly during valve replacement, but are not predictive of postoperative neurologic complications. This is true even if microbubbles are densely concentrated; attempts to eradicate microbubbles are unsuccessful and may be unnecessary.